Yesterday morning, while I was out of town visiting my parents, everyone else was having a lazy morning, and it was nice clear mild sunny weather outside, so I though I'd take advantage of the lull and go for a walk. I went nice and briskly, for about half an hour.

About ten minutes into the walk, I realized how fantastic my body felt. I'm a bit heavier than I'd like to be right now, but that aside, I felt strong. Everywhere in my legs, my hips, really everywhere from my feet up to my middle felt fantastic. Powerful, balanced, flexible, and I could really feel the motion of everything in my walk. What a difference riding has made! I still remember going out for walks the first winter after I started back at it, starting to feel little changes, starting to feel a little more balanced, noticing that I wasn't toeing out as much when I moved. Well, where I'm at now felt absolutely awesome. I still want more core strength, but even though I haven't worked at it at all outside of riding, it has been slowly improving. Over all, though, a very good feeling!

This morning I put in a ride on M that was probably close to an hour. Did lots of trot, including circles and transitions. I really tried to use more inside leg on the circles to see what I could do about bend, pushing her out, etc. It was a bit messy, as it often is when you try to change something, but it was cool. I think my right leg is still stronger than my left, but it's not quite as drastic a difference as it used to be.

I've noticed my saddle has felt slightly shifted to the left on the last few rides, but I wonder if maybe it just isn't quite recovering fully from mounting. It's definitely not shifting like that saddle I used to ride in! Maybe the horse's motion tends to shift them that way a bit too; it might not be all me, as it definitely wasn't with that saddle. Other people had the same problem.

I got some more sustained canter today. I think she only broke early on me twice. I'm much more confident cantering on a 20m circle than I am on the rail, for any length of time, so I used that to my advantage. I would begin by cantering around the circle twice, then carry on to the rail for a half lap. I think I eventually got up to a full lap -- or within about 15 feet of one when she broke! Augh! Still, it was further and longer than we often get at canter. Got the wrong lead a couple of times (right while going left, which is the opposite of what we usually get wrong, interestingly) but not a big issue. She felt really good and while she got a bit heavier at times she never got HEAVY in the reins/on the forehand. She didn't do her rein-snatching thing after canter today, either; she only rooted a couple of times during the cool-out walk.

My canter seat was better today, and it was certainly helped by her not feeling like she HATED the fact that she was cantering! She's moving so much better now. I do have a little more bounce to the right, but I was able to keep my seat in the saddle maybe 50% of the time that direction today instead of 15%. I'd say I can park my butt in the saddle about 70% of the time when I'm on a left rein and she's moving all right. Over all I felt good and sticky today. It wasn't one of those rare super magical seat days, but it was a better than average one for sure. I tried some sitting trot and while it wasn't awesome it still shows a lot of improvement.

I tried a bit of two-point today, which was definitely a hot mess. Trot wasn't so bad although I've lost a lot of the feel for it and need to work on my balance and stability. It definitely felt a lot better than the canter though!! Trying to ask for canter while in two-point, I got the "fuck you" fast trot instead, and had to either bring her back and try again or just run her into it. Neither was very graceful. I tried circling her to the left at one point to see if I'd feel more comfortable that way but the circle got smaller and smaller and smaller until I was cantering a 10m circle in a terrible two-point. I can't believe she stayed in the gait!

After we both got settled back down from that, I did a lap and a circle each direction in no-stirrups rising trot, then a serpentine in either rising or sitting (can't recall now) and did some more work sitting. My strategy here, if I haven't already mentioned it, is to sustain rising trot this way until sitting trot no-stirrups actually feels like a relief. I find when I'm tired of posting like this I sit deep and follow automatically without even thinking about it. I see no downside to this punishment so I intend to keep it up. :D

After my ride I turned everyone out, and I could hear voices in the woods near the paddock where there should not have been voices. The noises got the horses worked up, and Brogan ran Jones off the hay pile, and while Jones was running off the noise spooked him further and he fully ran right over Tobi the goat. Jones's front feet sent him tumbling and he fully stepped on him right in the ribs as he ran him over. Tobi popped right back up, coat half-way off, and stood there looking a bit stunned before carrying on as before. Incredible. I felt him all over but he didn't seem seriously hurt.

Anyhow, lots of adventures! I'll miss having the horses so close at hand. They go back in April. My mornings definitely won't be the same!! Looking forward to coming out of this winter with a major leg-up in all my skills. I feel like I'll have done a major fast-track intensive, which is what it is, really, now that I'm able to make the most of it.